1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a transfer material separating device for separating a transfer material onto which a liquid developer image is transferred from a transfer material moving member in an image forming apparatus adapted to use liquid developer (toner) such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer or the like, a transfer device for transferring a liquid developer image onto a transfer material and an image forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
Generally, a liquid developer image is transferred onto a transfer material as the transfer material is brought into contact with and pressed against a transfer medium in a transfer device and moved with the transfer medium in an image forming apparatus that is designed to use liquid developer (liquid toner). Additionally, the liquid developer image is fixed as the transfer material onto which the liquid developer image is transferred is brought into contact with and pressed against a fixing member and moved with the fixing member in a fixing device.
With such an arrangement, more specifically, the transfer surface of the transfer material that is to carry the liquid developer image is brought into contact with and pressed against the transfer medium or the transfer material moving member such as the fixing member. As the transfer surface of the transfer material is pressed against the transfer material moving member, the transfer material is apt to adhere to the transfer material moving member because of the properties specific to the liquid developer. Then, it is difficult to separate the transfer material onto which the liquid developer image is transferred from the transfer material moving member. For this reason, JP3128067 (to be referred to as Document 1 hereinafter) proposes an image forming apparatus that includes a transfer material separating device by means of which the transfer material is forcibly separated from the transfer material moving member at the front edge thereof by blowing air toward the front edge of the transfer material moving with the transfer material moving member.
With the transfer material separating device described in the Document 1, blown air penetrate into between the front edge of the transfer material and the transfer material moving member to separate the front edge of the transfer material.
The transfer material separating device described in the above-cited Document 1 simply blows air toward the front edge of the transfer material during an image forming operation so that it is not easy to reliably separate the transfer material. Additionally, since air is blown toward the transfer surface side of the transfer material, the liquid developer image transferred on the transfer material can be adversely influenced by blown air.